Charlotte Man With Federal Armed Bank Robbery Conviction Is Sentenced To Prison For Possession Of A Firearm By A Felon

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Jamell Tremaine Robinson, 42, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 66 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Colonel Freddy L. Johnson, Jr., Commander of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, join U.S. Attorney King in making today's announcement.

According to court documents and court proceedings, on October 13, 2021, around 11:30 p.m., a trooper with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol was operating stationary radar in the median of Interstate 40 in Catawba County. The trooper observed a gray Chevrolet Impala traveling at a high speed on the interstate and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle did not comply and sped away before losing control of the vehicle and crashing off the roadway in a wooded area. The trooper approached the vehicle and the driver was taken into custody. The trooper asked the driver for his identification and vehicle registration and the driver indicated the documents were inside the vehicle. When the trooper went to the wrecked vehicle to look for the license and registration, he observed a handgun laying beside the gas pedal on the floorboard of the vehicle. The handgun was loaded with one round in the chamber.

According to court records, the driver was identified as Robinson. The trooper conducted a criminal history of Robinson and discovered that he had a prior conviction for armed bank robbery in the Western District of North Carolina. Court documents show that after the vehicle was removed from the wooded area, troopers continued a search of the vehicle. During the search, troopers recovered an AR-556 rifle from the trunk of the vehicle. The rifle was loaded with one bullet in the chamber. A clear plastic bag containing 52 rounds of ammunition was also located inside the trunk next to the firearm. As a convicted felon, Robinson is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

On July 21, 2022, Robinson pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He is in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

The ATF and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol investigated the case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) William Wiseman of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. Mr. Wiseman is a state prosecutor with the office of the 26^th Prosecutorial District and was assigned by District Attorney Spencer Merriweather to serve as a SAUSA with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte. Mr. Wiseman is sworn in both state and federal courts. The SAUSA position is a reflection of the partnership between the office of the 26^th Prosecutorial District and the United States Attorney's Office.